Awkward questions

When I was a little girl I was a big question asker. It drove my mum nuts, I was worse than my three brothers put together. Now I don't tend to ask questions, I'm the one that has loads of questions flowing through my head but I won't open my mouth. It's a shame, I'm pretty sure it was school that knocked it out of me. I'm determind that the same doesn't happen to Anya and Derren. Anya is always asking questions and Derren is now starting to, it drives me nuts! I try to answer all their questions and if we have time we will have a look in books or on the internet, it still drives me nuts but I'm paranoid about quashing their enthusiasm for the unknown.

Today I've been boxing up a shoebox of toys for a great charity that collects them and sends them to children who don't get any Christmas presents. Check out their website Operation Christmas Child. 

So of course Anya had questions and it had to be the big one. "Why doesn't Santa bring them a present?" Oh shit I thought, how do I answer this one?! When Anya was little I did put a lot of thought into whether we would go through the whole Santa is real thing. I have no memories of ever believing in Santa, I suppose that's what happens when you have 3 older brothers. It hasn't made any difference to my life, I still had great Christmases as a child thanks to my mum and dad.

I was persuaded to follow the Christmas lie because it was a 'nice lie' but I was determind that the kids understood that Christmas presents weren't free. That mummy and daddy paid for the presents and Santa delivered them. Thank goodness I had went down this route so quick as a flash I told her that Santa would be delivering the presents to the kids but it was the only present they would get because their mummy and daddy couldn't afford any presents.

Crisis over, although I  am sure she will have a good think about it. One day she is going to say "Santa seems to be a cruel bastard that only gives presents to kids if their parents have money!" (Hopefully without the bastard). "What about all the kids in the world that are poor or have no parents?!" Not sure how I'm going to answer that one, but it's my own fault, I put the thought in her head!

Here she is with our shoebox ready to be whisked off to Santa.